Have i returned?

[MrJolteon]

Well, ad revenue in general is incredibly slow. AdF.ly anyone?

[AliceXIII]

true true, but alas it's not about the money right now our problem is GE in general

[master0500]

what if ge makes ad banners and posts them on various sites

[AliceXIII]

problem is we would have to pay those sites to put our ad on their page and since GE doesn't have any money that probably wont happen

[skydereign]

One of the major reasons users have been leaving gE is the lack of the 1.5 release. I get pm's from quite a few users who have stopped posting, but are still around, all asking about the new release. I've been trying to speed up the release of the source, and exports, but there hasn't been much progress on that end. A lot of people have gotten tired of waiting for 1.5. That being said, if 1.5 isn't released by new years, I'll be releasing new 1.4 versions with some editor improvements (shortcuts, more functions, and other editor improvements). It's true we only have two/three developers at this time, and akr has very little free time. But, makslane and I are still around as well, and the three of us have been going back and forth about moving 1.5 along.

And while no forum project was ever successful, Apalia Arena of Swords was a group project started via these forums, that succeeded to release. OmniArts, jimmynewguy, and myself made that game (OmniArts being composed of 3 other users). In my case, the main reason I think many group projects fail, is the lack of graphics. To me this is the biggest obstacle to making any game. Apalia was successful because OmniArts was able to actually provide graphics for jimmynewguy and myself to work on the game. So if any of you are artists and are willing to create the baseline graphics for a game, I can help program. I have yet to see this in a project.

On a side note, I've actually stopped using gE to attempt making games. It lacks the programming control I need to make games, and its release platforms haven't been moving along. As a gE developer though, I've found many things that I'm going to add to gE. That all being said, I'd still be happy to work on any group projects, assuming we can find artists to actually make the graphics.

[NightOfHorror]

Any team project I try to start dies down because nobody wants to even if they are not busy

mostly Pixelcraft and that one is rarely too because no one seems interested in it

^^ This is exactly why i stopped programming all together even in other languages, i became so frustrated with people being uninterested in everything and no one backing any ideas! sure you may have a game your developing at the time but you have no real scheduled time to release it you could help someone you know but instead every answer was thats difficult not impossible but difficult so you may as well try something easier, thats like saying here's a tool in which you can make your desired game but in no way expect any of us to help you realize your dream of making this game that to me was the biggest problem the forums had that and not enough tutorials we need more tutorials that start at a basic level and build up to a more advanced level with the end product being a complete game that would at least help alot of new people.

as for my part the first thing i'll do is help anyone that i can since im not developing a game currently i have alot of time to help anyone with questions!

as for a team project we need something thats not grand something easy to achieve for the first project you have to get the people involved used to working together and used to programming in your desired format thats the only way to gather interest in team projects!

night just bounce some ideas around come up with something simple and easy to achieve but thats not to simple a game propose it to me and i'll personally help you program it even if i have to program it all just to get things started on that front i myself am interested in forming a dedicated team to develop the best games we can with GE.

anyways since there's more than one person with the same ideals as me an jolt then pm'ing me is useless just post ideas here as i'll be checking this daily

Well, it was the Dark Hole project in my sig link. Also, just making a game and putting it on a popular website won't help. Also, we need more than one or two people that can make games.

[skydereign]

as for a team project we need something thats not grand something easy to achieve for the first project you have to get the people involved used to working together and used to programming in your desired format thats the only way to gather interest in team projects!

Here's a simple one. A geomancy platformer game. The player can use many different abilities, based on the tile type they last touched (or last absorbed). You could have multiple abilities for each, or if you want to keep it really simple, they are able to fire the element type out. So, firing earth could extend platforms allowing you to get places, while fire can burn things. Enemies would have elemental strengths and weaknesses needing the player to preserve certain magic types. Graphics to get going would be pretty simple (player and some tiles), but I think a major selling point to the game would be level exploration and puzzle elements, so we can still make it look visually impressive.

[AliceXIII]

Also, we need more than one or two people that can make games.

not necessarily having alot of people doesnt mean anything if they cant actually make anything, not that im trying to brag or anything but my skills with GE are above par i can do alot more in a day than a handful of programmers could in a week!

it's just about having people that know what they are doing and that have the right motivation to do it.. im here right now and willing to do what needs to be done!

Well, it was the Dark Hole project in my sig link

that game wasn't quite on the simpler side of programming for many people on here to dive in and help, im not saying dont do it or that i wont help you which i will im just saying start at an easier level so your team can become a team by learning to work with each other thats the key element here if the team cant learn how each other works then making games will only be harder to do, save the idea for later just work on building the teams strength up first!

On a side note, I've actually stopped using gE to attempt making games. It lacks the programming control I need to make games, and its release platforms haven't been moving along. As a gE developer though, I've found many things that I'm going to add to gE. That all being said, I'd still be happy to work on any group projects, assuming we can find artists to actually make the graphics.

yes i started using unreal to make games with because it's simply superior to GE but i know for a fact that for me theirs hardly anything impossible for me in GE i've spent so much time with it, which is the reason im back now if i can do anything in it then there is no reason to let it fade away

Here's a simple one. A geomancy platformer game. The player can use many different abilities, based on the tile type they last touched (or last absorbed). You could have multiple abilities for each, or if you want to keep it really simple, they are able to fire the element type out. So, firing earth could extend platforms allowing you to get places, while fire can burn things. Enemies would have elemental strengths and weaknesses needing the player to preserve certain magic types. Graphics to get going would be pretty simple (player and some tiles), but I think a major selling point to the game would be level exploration and puzzle elements, so we can still make it look visually impressive

^^ i like this idea i'll have to further comment on it later im off to work right now!

[NightOfHorror]

Anybody want to face each other in an GE fighting AI battle. One team makes one ai, and the other team makes the other ai. Then we combine them in one game to make them fight each other and one will emerge victorious. I will set the rules if anyone is interested, and I will participate myself.

[sonicforvergame]

You can i do ?
-i am a rookie
-i still didn't post any game demos
-i don't know advanced scripting

but even with all this i don't want that the game editor forum "die"
well i said what i wanted to say and i hope that i will have answers to my lack of knowledge in gaming creating

[MrJolteon]

Anybody want to face each other in an GE fighting AI battle. One team makes one ai, and the other team makes the other ai. Then we combine them in one game to make them fight each other and one will emerge victorious. I will set the rules if anyone is interested, and I will participate myself.

I'd join if I knew how to make an AI.

[skydereign]

Anybody want to face each other in an GE fighting AI battle. One team makes one ai, and the other team makes the other ai. Then we combine them in one game to make them fight each other and one will emerge victorious. I will set the rules if anyone is interested, and I will participate myself.

This isn't really a group project though. We would need something everyone can work on, and as people have pointed out, this one is rather script intensive and centered around a competitive idea. For the first true gE forum project it should be collaborative, and something that most users will be able to understand.

[NightOfHorror]

Then, I guess before that, it is best to make a game that starts with simple AI, then gradually it gets more complex together? Of course there is also your game idea too sky.

[Jagmaster]

I really don't post as much as I should, although I rarely find anything worthwhile to say.

I do visit somewhat frequently, and It's good that this stuff is being addressed.

That being said, I do appreciate this software a lot. I don't want to see it die. I learned more about coding from Game Editor and it's community than I did from any book (as I know a lot of people here have). I would recommend it to anyone who wanted to make games. In a heartbeat. There are some things that I have some problems with, that would inhibit me from using it in the long run in a professional workflow however. Some of these issues are being addressed already. I will point out a few, and I hope none of these will lead the thread off topic or be taken the wrong way.

#1 Revenue.
There are 5 platforms for potential revenue that exist right now.

a. Computer (Pc, mac, linux)
b. Phone (Ios, windows mobile)


The amount of options here is actually extensive, but I have a few problems with them from a business standpoint.

a. Computer. If anyone can confirm that you have the ability to publish Ge games to major game marketplaces (Bigfish, Amazon, Apple appstore, ubuntu store, and Steam [via greenlight perhaps] are the only ones I can think of atm. Yeah... Bigfish is a bad example.) then I'd be grateful. Is it even possible? If not, then what? I just to know that I can get my game on a third party site without a problem. Hopefully before I get committed to a project. Has this been done? Has everyone given their pc games for free?
If I don't have this ability, I'm stuck making game editor games as a hobby.

[opinion] For the record, I don't like gamejolt. It's always flagged as a malicious site for me. [/opinion]

Speaking of...
The second problem is not so much Ge, but avira. I said this a bajillion times, and I'll say it again. I can't have my product flagged as malware.
That happens - Reputation ruined.
If only there was some way to get a digital certificate (I don't know what that entails) for GE and games created with it, so we can prove that they are harmless.

b. Smartphone

Ios - Great platform - If I had a mac. Not Ge's fault. I'd see this in a different light if I was an apple user. Now I'm biting my nails for that android release. It sent an epic chill down my spine as I loaded that first test app on my iphone killer (aka Galaxy SIII ). Ooh that was sweet. Btw, I got much better framerate results on the gsIII than my old Droid Bionic. Go figure. Anyways.

But really, ad support would be fantastic, as would iap. Would bring in some $$$. I heard this stuff was brought up in ye olde posts. Stuff was either in or out of the works.

Windows mobile - If this is compatible with windows phone 7 (and up), then super! No problem. If not, then is this a dead platform? I'm not so familiar with the older phones. Nobody I know has a windows mobile phone anyway. Yet.
Just an observation. A lot of engines are jumping on the Windows 8 "App" bandwagon. *cough* Construct2 *cough*. Personally I think windows 8 looks, looks like an insane cobbled together nightmare (I need to use it to give an educated opinion). At least on a personal computer, maybe not on a tablet. At the moment GE certainly doesn't have resources to focus on this. If it does catch on then it should be a consideration.

#2 Useability.
Frankly, this software has beautifully simple ui. It lacks only a few features that I only became aware of after I looked at other software (like unity and blender).

Namely, I got addicted to "Prefabs" which were like actors on steroids. Being able to make an actor with some code, and than save it as a prefab so I could use it again for something else is so useful. Also, integrated with a nested parenting system would allow one to spawn an enemy with his weapons and armor parented to him As A Single object. As of now, to achieve this one would have to use some convoluted actor referencing, or unstable "create actor actions within create actor events".

Actor management workflow right now is terrible compared to other programs.



I'd be wasting my breath if I listed the ui bugs again (they have been listed on other topics). They don't really hinder the overall user experience for me anyway. Not too much. Some are enough to drive away new users who are used to other software.

But really, this project is being held on the shoulders of only three people. That's pretty remarkable really. I'm hoping a lot of the bugs will be fixed in the next release.

<== Regarding a team project ==>

I think Ge could benefit from a professionally made, quality game to showcase Ge's flying colors a la Blender style. I think one should study their approach.

a. They had sponsorship. You can't easily make something out of nothing. Funding came from premium sponsors as well as dvd pre-orders. Tears of steel had some pretty big sponsors.
b. They developed features for the software that would in turn, advance the quality of the finished product. So, in turn, anyone who uses blender now, indirectly benefits from the project.
c. The movie (or game) itself was released open source. One could really delve into the clockwork of the finished product. Anyone funding it would like to know that they're getting some benefit out of it. I think everyone here is on board with that.

In order to make something like this work, we'd need a good project to attract some good developers. Make announcements about it on various open source communities. Developer communities and user communities (like blender or gimp). Maybe start a kickstarter or indigogo or something similar. Then once it's done, (after a ton of work) release it as open source! It'd be neat to port it to ios and droid too.

As for me, I wouldn't have the slightest idea how to start something like this properly. If it were achieved, that would be awesome. I would apply my skills wherever possible. Unfortunately I'm very tight schedule wise. That's the only issue.

It's funny you should mention lack of graphic art in these projects Sky. I find myself making more graphics than actual game usually, as graphic art is more of a passion for me. I hope I could be found useful in whatever project comes out of this conversation. I'm not the best for sure (nobody is), but I'm learning and improving constantly.
I still owe NoH an alien sprite though.

I also second sky's overall game concept. It's something not to complicated, and yet I could see anyone contributing to it. Designing and coding new characters and powerups etc.

[skydereign]

It's funny you should mention lack of graphic art in these projects Sky. I find myself making more graphics than actual game usually, as graphic art is more of a passion for me. I hope I could be found useful in whatever project comes out of this conversation. I'm not the best for sure (nobody is), but I'm learning and improving constantly.
I still owe NoH an alien sprite though.

That was more of a personal note (though also true for most attempted projects on these forums), as it is the primary reason why I haven't released any of my own games with gE. While my graphic art skills are pretty good, animations take me longer than I'd like. In the end, that is the major reason I haven't supported any group projects. The graphics must exist, and hopefully look nice, before the programmers will really be able to start the game. I've asked various people to help on this front, but no one was really interested or had time. This is almost always the case, unless they are compensated for their work. Your graphics are quite nice, and you are one of few members that is willing to make them for others. Assuming you could lead the graphics side of the group project, I can see whatever game we choose to make actually being released.

I also second sky's overall game concept. It's something not to complicated, and yet I could see anyone contributing to it. Designing and coding new characters and powerups etc.

The approachability was definitely the intent of this game. We need to choose a first project that anyone can join, and it is interesting enough for more experienced users to want to join. If we get a few more people to want to join this project I can set up a topic with a bare bones design dock for people to start working on.

I think Ge could benefit from a professionally made, quality game to showcase Ge's flying colors a la Blender style. I think one should study their approach.

a. They had sponsorship. You can't easily make something out of nothing. Funding came from premium sponsors as well as dvd pre-orders. Tears of steel had some pretty big sponsors.
b. They developed features for the software that would in turn, advance the quality of the finished product. So, in turn, anyone who uses blender now, indirectly benefits from the project.
c. The movie (or game) itself was released open source. One could really delve into the clockwork of the finished product. Anyone funding it would like to know that they're getting some benefit out of it. I think everyone here is on board with that.

In order to make something like this work, we'd need a good project to attract some good developers. Make announcements about it on various open source communities. Developer communities and user communities (like blender or gimp). Maybe start a kickstarter or indigogo or something similar. Then once it's done, (after a ton of work) release it as open source! It'd be neat to port it to ios and droid too.

While this is definitely a good approach, we should wait until the developing side of gE has been cleaned up a bit. For a full blown group developer project like that, we should have the source code situation straightened out, and hopefully better team project support. I know waiting for features to start reaching out for developers is a bit counter intuitive, there are some base order that should be established.

Windows mobile - If this is compatible with windows phone 7 (and up), then super! No problem. If not, then is this a dead platform? I'm not so familiar with the older phones. Nobody I know has a windows mobile phone anyway. Yet.
Just an observation. A lot of engines are jumping on the Windows 8 "App" bandwagon. *cough* Construct2 *cough*. Personally I think windows 8 looks, looks like an insane cobbled together nightmare (I need to use it to give an educated opinion). At least on a personal computer, maybe not on a tablet. At the moment GE certainly doesn't have resources to focus on this. If it does catch on then it should be a consideration.

Last I asked, 1.5 won't support windows mobile or gp2x.

Speaking of...
The second problem is not so much Ge, but avira. I said this a bajillion times, and I'll say it again. I can't have my product flagged as malware.
That happens - Reputation ruined.
If only there was some way to get a digital certificate (I don't know what that entails) for GE and games created with it, so we can prove that they are harmless.

This has always seemed rather troubling. But I'm not really sure where to start.

a. Computer. If anyone can confirm that you have the ability to publish Ge games to major game marketplaces (Bigfish, Amazon, Apple appstore, ubuntu store, and Steam [via greenlight perhaps] are the only ones I can think of atm. Yeah... Bigfish is a bad example.) then I'd be grateful. Is it even possible? If not, then what? I just to know that I can get my game on a third party site without a problem. Hopefully before I get committed to a project. Has this been done? Has everyone given their pc games for free?
If I don't have this ability, I'm stuck making game editor games as a hobby.

It is possible, according to the rules set by most of these distributors. We could make it a point to release the group project to some of these marketplaces. This could help showoff gE's portability and set a good precedent for users that want to release the games.

But really, ad support would be fantastic, as would iap. Would bring in some $$$. I heard this stuff was brought up in ye olde posts. Stuff was either in or out of the works.

Some ad support has been worked on (a gE game has used it), and hopefully we can get the 1.5 geapp version to use it. I've been checking out android quite a bit, and am aiming to help carry the project further along.